Triel Baenre was a drow priestess and the matron mother of House Baenre, first house of Menzoberranzan in the late 14th century DR.[1] As a powerful matron mother, Triel was addressed by a number of titles. Some of them were "Exalted Mother"[8] and "Sacred Mother."[9]
Description[]
Triel was less than 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall,[10] which was short even by drow standards, but broad and strong. She was not particularly attractive compared to many other drow elves, either, but made up for this with her ferocity and ambition. She typically wore her white hair braided in a crown around her head.[10]
Triel often wore a tunic with five black spiders embroiled in silver to proclaim her rank.[11]
Personality[]
Triel was a powerful high priestess of Lolth, but during the Silence of Lolth even she doubted her goddess.[12]
History[]
Triel was Yvonnel Baenre's first and most powerful daughter. She came to power in 1358 DR when her mother, Yvonnel Baenre, was killed during the drow assault on Mithral Hall.[13]
Triel was a potent cleric of Lolth, and prior to (and immediately after) her succession to the throne of House Baenre she served as Mistress Mother of Arach-Tinilith in the Academy of Menzoberranzan.[14] Shrewd and ambitious though she was, Triel did not expect to be landed with the role of House Matron so early, and she slightly resented the position at first due to the precarious position House Baenre was in at the time (Yvonnel Baenre had just been killed, which caused mounting unrest and political change in the city). As the eldest daughter of House Baenre, however, Triel was trained in preparation for becoming Matron Mother by Yvonnel Baenre herself; she was well qualified for the position by the time she ascended to it.[15]
In 1361 DR, Triel announced the Peace of Lolth, a decree from the goddess for the drow of Menzoberranzan to stop shedding each other's blood until Lolth instructs otherwise. In essence, that truly meant that only priestesses were forbidden from slaying one another. [16]
In 1372 DR began the Silence of Lolth, when Lolth failed to communicate with her priestesses or grant them spells. Fearing that threats to the city and the matriarchy would use it to their advantage, Triel forbade any priestess to speak of it.[17] After a slave revolt, the city was weakened and unprepared for the following Siege of Menzoberranzan, so Triel was forced to seek allies among the other drow houses.[18]
During the Siege of Menzoberranzan in 1373 DR, Triel was subject to an assassination attempt by the Jaezred Chaulssin. In fact, there were two attempts: an obvious one involving an assassin, who was captured and brought to Triel, revealing the true attempt, which was a delayed-blast fireball embedded in the assassin's body. Triel survived the fireball because of the protective magic of her mother's throne.[19] Soon after, when House Agrach Dyrr surrendered following their betrayal of the city, Triel accepted them as vassals of House Baenre for the foreseeable future.[20]
Triel's reign as matron mother was short-lived, especially for a drow. In 1383 DR her sister Quenthel lured her into a confrontation where her sister killed her and took over as head of both House Baerne and Arach-Tinilith.[3]
Possessions[]
Triel possessed a magical diamond that could be used to summon the Bregan D'aerthe. Like her mother, she continued to utilize the band's skills.[21]
Triel wore an earring that could detect lies. She also had a five-headed viper whip, like her sister Quenthel.[11] She had several wands, including a a wand of torture that appeared as braided iron with white feather at the tip[22] and an iron wand of polymorph topped with a moth trapped in amber, which she once used it to turn a jade spider into an umber hulk.[23]
Her favored weapon was a whip of fangs which she wielded against many young drow in the Academy.[2]
Relationships[]
Triel's mother was Yvonnel Baenre, the ancient and powerful matron mother of House Baenre. Triel had a number of siblings, but the most notable was her brother Gromph, Archmage of Menzoberranzan,[5][6] as well as the rogue Jarlaxle, leader of Bregan D'aerthe.[7] Quenthel Baenre, her younger sister,[5][6] succeeded Triel the next the Mistress of Arach-Tinilith after her return from death.[24]
Triel considered Gromph and Quenthel her most trusted advisors (which prompted Gromph to attempt to assassinate Quenthel a number of times).[25]
She once had a draegloth (half-drow, half-demon) son, Jeggred,[4] who served as her personal bodyguard and killer[26] until he was slain in Lolth's realm, the Demonweb Pits.[27] He was considered a sign of Lolth's favor upon her.[28]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
Rise of the King
Miniatures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 R.A. Salvatore, Michael Leger, Douglas Niles (1992). Menzoberranzan (The Houses). Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), pp. 14–15. ISBN 1-5607-6460-0.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brian R. James, Eric Menge (August 2012). Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 37. ISBN 978-0786960361.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 4, p. 46. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 R.A. Salvatore, Michael Leger, Douglas Niles (1992). Menzoberranzan (The Houses). Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), pp. 14–15, 18–19. ISBN 1-5607-6460-0.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brian R. James, Eric Menge (August 2012). Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-0786960361.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 R.A. Salvatore (July 2007). Road of the Patriarch (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), chaps. 19, 20, pp. 290–291, 296–297. ISBN 978-0-7869-4277-0.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 18, p. 273. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 17, p. 255. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Elaine Cunningham (July 2003). Daughter of the Drow (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 26. ISBN 978-0786929290.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lisa Smedman (February 2005). Extinction. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-3596-0.
- ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). Condemnation. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 287. ISBN 0786932023.
- ↑ R.A. Salvatore (November 2006). Siege of Darkness. (Wizards of the Coast).
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (July 2003). Daughter of the Drow (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 978-0786929290.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (July 2003). Daughter of the Drow (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-0786929290.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 5, p. 72. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Richard Baker (May 2003). Condemnation. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 288. ISBN 0786932023.
- ↑ Lisa Smedman (February 2005). Extinction. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 65, 73. ISBN 0-7869-3596-0.
- ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). Resurrection. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 356. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 23, p. 340. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Lisa Smedman (February 2005). Extinction. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 65. ISBN 0-7869-3596-0.
- ↑ Lisa Smedman (February 2005). Extinction. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 131–132. ISBN 0-7869-3596-0.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 2, p. 17. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 5, p. 73. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
- ↑ Richard Baker (December 2002). “Rogues Gallery: The Heroes of the War of the Spider Queen”. In Jesse Decker ed. Dragon #302 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), pp. 83–84.
- ↑ Paul S. Kemp (February 2006). Resurrection. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 363–364. ISBN 0-7869-3981-8.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (August 2003). Dissolution. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 25, p. 368. ISBN 0-7869-2944-8.
Sources[]
- Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
- Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- Philip Athans (2008). A Reader's Guide to R. A. Salvatore's the Legend of Drizzt. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 0-7869-4915-5.